23 Essex Street > Manchester, England > Set Profile
23 Essex Street Offices

23 Essex Street
Waterhouse, 2nd Floor, 41 Spring Gardens
Manchester
M2 2BG
England
23 Essex Street > The Legal 500 Rankings
London Bar > Fraud: crime Tier 2
The experienced criminal fraud set 23ES (formerly 23 Essex Street) defends and prosecutes major SFO investigations and other high-profile financial crime matters. On behalf of a trading standards body, Cairns Nelson KC is prosecuting 11 defendants accused of defrauding elderly members of the public in a boiler room fraud, which made cold calls offering fake energy saving measures. Nelson KC also leads Tom Godfrey in the representation of Newcastle United Football Club, which is the subject of a long-running HMRC tax evasion investigation, with a focus on agents’ fees. Tim Hunter arrived from 2 Harcourt Buildings in May 2022.South Eastern Circuit > Crime (general and fraud) Tier 2
23ES is ‘one of the largest criminal sets with a wide pool of counsel at all levels’. Kate Lumsdon KC successfully prosecuted a man who murdered his girlfriend in a room at the Holiday Inn in Greenwich. James Bloomer successfully defended a man against allegations of sexual abuse of his niece five decades earlier. Alan Gardner KC and Nathan Rasiah KC took silk in March 2022.Leading Silks
2022 Silks
Leading Juniors
Testimonials
Set
‘Chambers has an excellent array of counsel across general crime, from pupils to silks, confident in their expertise.’
’23ES is one of the best sets in the country, the best prosecution and judge-breeding set in the country. Uniformly capable barristers.’
’23ES is a strong prosecution set with a number of brilliant barristers at all levels. It is also a very influential set.’
Clerking
‘The criminal clerks are good. Adam Chapman is excellent, a decent person who is really engaged in what he does, very responsive, and extremely good at his job. Adam sets a very high benchmark for those working with him.’
‘The clerks’ room adopts modern practices and matches the skills of each of their barristers to the particular instructions.’
London Bar > Crime Tier 3
‘A brilliant chambers with a range of top-notch barristers’, the set at 23ES bring strength in depth to prosecuting and defending serious crime, from complex multi-handed and high-profile murders, to cases involving sexual offences and human trafficking. John Price KC led Nathan Rasiah KC (a 2022 Silk) in the successful prosecution of a man who was sentenced to life in June 2022, for the widely-publicised 1994 murder of Rikki Neave, 13-year-old boy. Eloise Marshall KC prosecuted to conclusion the case of disgraced former Conservative MP Charlie Elphicke, who was convicted of sexual assaults. William Eaglestone led the successful prosecution of a former soldier for accused of the sexual assault and rape attacks by multiple servicewomen.Leading Silks
2022 Silks
Leading Juniors
Testimonials
Set
’23ES is a brilliant chambers with a range of top notch barristers.’
’23ES is a large chambers and that is their greatest strength, as there are a number of exceptional barristers which ensures a high quality of representation .’
’23ES are an outstanding set.’
Clerking
‘The clerks offer an excellent service. Adam Chapman, in particular, is exceptional. He provides full assistance in dealing with listing issues. He provides advice on available counsel and he always responds immediately to queries raised.’
‘Adam Chapman is everything that you need in a clerk – he is professional and personable, and ensures that the instructing solicitors are properly looked-after.’
London Bar > Professional disciplinary and regulatory law Tier 3
With barristers considered ‘at the top of their game, but down to earth and approachable’, 23ES acts for a range of regulatory bodies, with Paul Ozin KC also active as Chair of the Association of Regulatory and Disciplinary Lawyers. In SRA v Khan, Tim Grey represented a high-profile solicitor Sophie Khan, who had been found to have failed to deliver required documents to the SRA, following two High Court orders and a summary strike off. In addition, Rebecca Vanstone represented the regulatory body in GDC v Notta, prosecuting a registrant facing multiple allegations of clinical misconduct and dishonesty.Leading Silks
Leading Juniors
Testimonials
Set
‘23ES have good strength in depth in this area.‘
‘23ES are a go-to set – they always try their best to assist in both civil and criminal matters – especially when there is a crossover. Their barristers tend to be at the top of their game, but down to earth and approachable.‘
Clerking
‘Daniel Randall is excellent. Always responds without delay and always gave a top class service by keeping you updated, and where Counsel availability was limited would try and work around this by rearranging diaries (where possible) in order to secure Counsel. He is friendly and approachable and is a go-to clerk at the Chambers. 23ES are lucky to have him on the team.’
‘Excellent clerking – Daniel Randall is brilliant.‘
‘The clerking team is friendly and generally very responsive and pleasant. Daniel Randall deserves a special mention.‘
‘Daniel Randall is always very helpful and responsive.‘
Northern Circuit > Crime (general and fraud) Tier 3
23 Essex Street has ‘fantastic strength-in-depth’. The set houses Daniel Lister, who has a strong criminal practice, and of recent note was instructed in a case stemming Operation Vinetic concerning conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and involves evidence obtained from France after the cooperation of the French, Dutch and English police. Bob Sastry is also a key member and has considerable expertise handling cases involving murder, large-scale conspiracies, serious allegations of violence and sexual offence cases. Hugh McKee and Barry White are also of note.Leading Juniors
Testimonials
Set
‘Chambers often make efforts to keep the same barrister available for cases as it provides clients with familiarity and consistency.’
’23ES has provided suitably experienced counsel and the counsel and clerks work together as a team to keep the instructing solicitor informed and updated. They have also assisted in referrals to 23ES, London, as and when required.’
’23ES are a good set with consistent quality across the board.’
’23ES has fantastic strength-in-depth with a good choice of quality counsel for all types of criminal cases. The silks at chambers are the envy of many criminal sets.’
Clerking
‘The clerks room has a nice balance and go the extra mile. Wayne King and Adam Chapman are always on hand to assist – both are highly respected and responsive.’
‘Wayne King and Sean Hulston are excellent and very responsive.’
Midland Circuit > Business and regulatory crime (including health and safety)
Leading Juniors
Midland Circuit > Crime (general and fraud)
Leading Juniors
Northern Circuit > Chancery, probate, and tax
Leading Juniors
Northern Circuit > Commercial litigation
Northern Circuit > Company and insolvency
Northern Circuit > Property and construction
Leading Juniors
Regional Bar > Northern Circuit > Crime (general and fraud) Tier 3
23 Essex Street has ‘fantastic strength-in-depth’. The set houses Daniel Lister, who has a strong criminal practice, and of recent note was instructed in a case stemming Operation Vinetic concerning conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and involves evidence obtained from France after the cooperation of the French, Dutch and English police. Bob Sastry is also a key member and has considerable expertise handling cases involving murder, large-scale conspiracies, serious allegations of violence and sexual offence cases. Hugh McKee and Barry White are also of note.Leading Juniors
Testimonials
Set
‘Chambers often make efforts to keep the same barrister available for cases as it provides clients with familiarity and consistency.’
’23ES has provided suitably experienced counsel and the counsel and clerks work together as a team to keep the instructing solicitor informed and updated. They have also assisted in referrals to 23ES, London, as and when required.’
’23ES are a good set with consistent quality across the board.’
’23ES has fantastic strength-in-depth with a good choice of quality counsel for all types of criminal cases. The silks at chambers are the envy of many criminal sets.’
Clerking
‘The clerks room has a nice balance and go the extra mile. Wayne King and Adam Chapman are always on hand to assist – both are highly respected and responsive.’
‘Wayne King and Sean Hulston are excellent and very responsive.’
Regional Bar > Northern Circuit > Chancery, probate, and tax
Leading Juniors
Regional Bar > Northern Circuit > Commercial litigation
Regional Bar > Northern Circuit > Company and insolvency
Regional Bar > Northern Circuit > Property and construction
Leading Juniors
23 Essex Street > Set Profile
23ES
23ES is a modern, innovative, approachable set of barristers, with a leading reputation in crime, fraud, a range of regulatory and disciplinary matters and more recently commercial law. Kate Lumsdon KC and Eloise Marshall KC were elected as joint head of chambers in November 2021. Under their collective stewardship chambers has continued to grow and is a national criminal set in London and Manchester.
The set: Chambers has a genuine commitment to teamwork, supported by both its formal training programme and its inherent culture, which ensures important recent experience is shared across chambers. This experience is broad, with members of chambers undertaking the entire range of mainstream criminal law, as well as associated regulatory and civil work. Within this, chambers has set up a number of specialist teams, offering a strong portfolio of barristers who are effective at all levels, to harness and develop expertise in certain niche practice areas.
Members regularly appear in high-profile cases in all levels of court in England and Wales as well as other jurisdictions, including the International Criminal Court and the European Court of Human Rights.
Chambers is supported by a motivated clerking team that are committed to delivering a first-class service to clients and members alike.
Types of work undertaken: Chambers deals with Crime, Financial and Corporate Crime, Regulatory and Professional Discipline work , Inquests and Inquiries, Civil and Commercial work. Specialist areas include corporate and financial regulatory, healthcare discipline, police discipline, environmental crime, IP crime and trading standards. Chambers also undertakes Court Martial, Prison Law, Property Law, Sports Law and direct access work. Chambers also has a strong track record in international work with members appearing in human rights cases involving genocide, war crimes, and international terrorism.
Crime: 23ES is one of the largest and strongest sets of criminal barristers in England and Wales. Chambers currently has over 112 barristers. The size and national presence of chambers enables it to offer a genuine depth and expertise across the full spectrum of criminal law. Chambers not only defends at the highest level, but is also instructed by all of the major prosecuting agencies including the Serious Fraud Office, FCA, Organised Crime Division, the Complex Casework Units and BEIS, on a national level. The general crime team also have a particular expertise in sexual offences involving vulnerable witnesses, and county-lines drug offences.
Financial and Corporate Crime: 23ES continues to enjoy a superb reputation in this field, with talented and sought after Members prosecuting and defending in many serious and notable fraud cases both in the UK and other common law jurisdictions. Chambers has significant and growing experience in advisory and investigation work in fraud related HMRC tribunal work. Alongside the financial crime practice, runs the civil fraud team comprising commercial law specialists with expertise in civil consequences of fraud such as insolvency. Many of the juniors undertake secondments at the key financial regulators, including the FCA, HMRC and SFO, enhancing chambers knowledge and experience.
Professional regulatory and discipline: Chambers continues to present the most serious of cases on behalf of various regulators, including appellate and public law work. These include healthcare regulators (GMC, GDC, GCC, GOC, NMC, RCN, SRA, HCPC), financial regulators (notably ACCA and CIPFA), police work and niche work regulators, including the British Psychoanalytical Council and the Forensic Science Regulator.
Chambers services cross-over criminal/regulatory work from BEIS, FCA, Environmental, Trading Standards and CMA. There is strength across call bands, including the junior members of chambers have a depth of experience beyond their call built on secondment posts with the regulators.
Commercial: The team offers barristers of differing seniorities and styles, with specialisms ranging from traditional chancery areas such as trusts, wills, probate and real property, company law, partnership, Inheritance Act claims, charities and taxation to general commercial litigation, sale of goods and professional negligence. It also has considerable expertise in corporate and personal insolvency.
Additionally, a number of members of the team have significant experience in banking and finance matters, acting for a number of large lenders as well as borrowers on areas ranging from securities to the Consumer Credit Act 1974.
Education and training: Members of chambers are involved in all stages of education and training at the Bar. Chambers is proud to have provided several chairmen of the Criminal Bar Association as well as a leader of the South Eastern Circuit and many members of the committees of these and other organisations; thereby contributing to the sustainability and growth of the bar. Paul Ozin KC co-authors a leading practitioners text on the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and was co-ordinating editor of 23 Essex Streets Financial Crime Update in Butterworths Journal of International Banking and Financial Law. The general editor of Archbold and Criminal Law Week, James Richardson KC, remains a door tenant having practised from chambers and members regularly contribute to a range of legal periodicals. 23 Essex Street is a recognised leader in the field of legal training, running its own continuing education seminars and a well renowned pupillage training programme. Chambers commitment to education and training is ongoing.
Tenancy: Applications should be addressed to the director of tenancy, Rossano Scamardella QC. All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence. Please see the website for further details.
Pupillage: Applications are advertised on the website – www.23es.com
Mini-pupillage: A limited number are available.
Correspondence regarding mini-pupillages should be made via the email address minipupillage@23es.com.
London: 1 Grays Inn Square, London, WC1R 5AA
Manchester: Waterhouse, 2nd Floor, 41 Spring Gardens, Manchester M2 2BG Tel: 0161 870 9969 DX: 303434 Manchester
Main Contacts
Department | Name | Telephone | |
---|---|---|---|
Joint Head of Chambers | LUMSDON KC, Kate (2018) | ||
Joint Head of Chambers | MARSHALL KC, Eloise (2018) | ||
PRICE KC, John (1982) | |||
NELSON KC, Cairns (1987) | |||
MISKIN KC, Charles (1975) | |||
FITZGIBBON KC Francis (1986) | |||
BOGAN KC, Paul (1983) | |||
MULHOLLAND KC, James (1986) | |||
ALI KC, Zafar (1994) | |||
FENHALLS KC, Mark (1992) | |||
WILDING KC, Lisa (1993) | |||
OZIN KC, Paul (1987) | |||
HUNTER KC, Allison (1986) | |||
CLARK KC, Tim (1993) | |||
SCAMARDELLA KC, Rossano (2018) | |||
HOSSAIN KC, Ahmed (1996) | |||
GARDNER KC, Alan (1997) | |||
RASIAH KC , Nathan (2007) | |||
MACHIN, Charles (1973) | |||
HARRISON, Michael (1979) | |||
HORNSBY, Walton (1980) | |||
MCKEE, Hugh (1983) | |||
RILEY, John (1983) | |||
SHAY, Stephen (1984) | |||
WILLIAMS, Brian (1986) | |||
CRANSTON-MORRIS, Wayne (1986) | |||
FORGAN, Hugh (1989) | |||
SMITH, Jonathan (1991) | |||
AMIS, Christopher (1991) | |||
MOORE, Richard (1992) | |||
MILNE, Richard (1992) | |||
O'CONNOR, Ged (1993) | |||
MCCRINDELL, James (1993) | |||
BENTWOOD, Richard (1994) | |||
WATKINS, Adam (1994) | |||
CASELLA, Bart (1995) | |||
HARGAN, Carl (1995) | |||
MCGRATH, Francis (1995) | |||
THORNE, Sarah (1995 | |||
SASTRY, Bob (1996) | |||
BRODY, Saul (1996) | |||
HOPE, Ian (1996) | |||
MORRIS, Sarah (1996) | |||
ROYLE, Charles (1997) | |||
SANDYS, Neil (1998) | |||
HUNTER, Tim (1998) | |||
FUGALLO, Daniel (1999) | |||
SMITH, Graham (1999) | |||
BATES, Leslie (1999) | |||
DUNKIN, Oliver (1999) | |||
GREY,Tim (1999) | |||
HUSBANDS, Abigail (2000) | |||
HAMLET, Christopher (2000) | |||
BLOOMER, James (2000) | |||
FARLEY, David (2001) | |||
EAGLESTONE, William (2001) | |||
STANGOE, Heather (2001) | |||
PAGE, Flora (2002) | |||
KHAN, Aisha (2002) | |||
DYE, John (2002) | |||
JAMES, Rhodri (2002) | |||
HILL, Rina-Marie (2002) | |||
SAUL, Sonya (2002) | |||
BANKS, Nathan (2003) | |||
COMMON, Hamish (2003) | |||
GODFREY, Tom (2003) | |||
GODDARD, Lisa (2003) | |||
SAUNDERS, Kevin (2003) | |||
POMFRET, Brad (2004) | |||
GOSLING, Tom (2004) | |||
UPTON, Alexander (2004) | |||
MOHAMMED, Rashad (2004) | |||
MOLLOY, Andrew (2004) | |||
BUNBURY, Claire (2006) | |||
TEMPLETON, Joseph (2006) | |||
VANSTONE, Rebecca (2006) | |||
MORGAN, Iestyn (2006) | |||
BARRACLOUGH, Lee (2006) | |||
DUFFY, Patrick (2007) | |||
WHITE, Barry (2007) | |||
DEVANS-TAMAKLOE, Jennifer (2007) | |||
ROSENBERG, Jeremy (2009) | |||
SAYNOR, Richard (2009) | |||
LISTER, Daniel (2009) | |||
ACKER, Elizabeth (2010) | |||
DUONG, Helena (2010) | |||
GAINZA, Victoria (2010) | |||
CUMMINGS, Stephanie (2010) | |||
MCINTYRE, Sarah-Kate (2011) | |||
SMITH, Robert (2011) | |||
TOLSON, Asa (2012) | |||
MILLS, Alex (2012) | |||
TREFGARNE, Sam (2012) | |||
MURPHY, Micheal (2013) | |||
DAINTY, David (2013) | |||
O'DONOGHUE, Daniel (2013) | |||
COBB, Elizabeth (2013) | |||
JONES, Rebecca (2013) | |||
MORRISON, Emile (2013) | |||
QUEFFURUS, Sasha (2014) | |||
SAUNDERS, Nick (2014) | |||
WHEELER, Carl (2015) | |||
TEALE, Josephine (2016) | |||
PURI, Divya (2017) | |||
STEWART, Caroline (2017) | |||
HODGETTS, Matthew (2017) | |||
GRIFFITHS, Wesley (2018) | |||
WILLIAMS, Katie (2018) | |||
BARNES, Arianna (2018) | |||
KHAN, Imran (2018) | |||
GOLDRING, Jessica (2019) | |||
SMALL, Oliver (2020) |
Barrister Profiles
Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
---|---|---|---|
![]() | Nathan Banks | Nathan practises in all aspects of chancery and commercial law with specific… | View Profile |
![]() | Mr Lee Barraclough | View Profile | |
![]() | Saul Brody | Highly regarded, experienced, meticulous and incisive, he is instructed on behalf of… | View Profile |
![]() | Claire Bunbury | ‘She has a cost-effective and commercial approach’. Legal 500, 2015 : Commercial,… | View Profile |
![]() | Mr Tom Gosling | “A great advocate, concise and thorough in all his work.”Legal 500, 2020 Commercial,… | View Profile |
![]() | Wesley Griffiths | View Profile | |
![]() | Carl Hargan | Carl Hargan, a senior junior of 19 years call, is regularly instructed… | View Profile |
![]() | Daniel Lister | Daniel has experience in all areas of criminal law. He is a… | View Profile |
![]() | Charles Machin | Charles Machin has over 40 years’ experience in the fields of Chancery… | View Profile |
![]() | Hugh McKee | Hugh McKee is a senior criminal practitioner with a heavyweight caseload. For… | View Profile |
![]() | Richard Moore | Richard is a litigator whose practice encompasses both traditional Chancery matters, as… | View Profile |
![]() | Mr Micheal Murphy | View Profile | |
![]() | Brad Pomfret | Brad has a broad-ranging commercial litigation and arbitration practice, covering diverse areas… | View Profile |
![]() | Bob Sastry | General Crime Bob Sastry regularly prosecutes and defends in high-level criminal cases.… | View Profile |
![]() | Jonathan Smith | Jonathan has a wide and varied chancery and commercial practice split evenly… | View Profile |
![]() | Miss Sarah Thorne | Member of 23ES Chambers | View Profile |
![]() | Asa Tolson | Asa is a specialist chancery/commercial practitioner and one of the founder members… | View Profile |
![]() | Mr Adam Watkins | View Profile | |
![]() | Mr Barry White | Barry has a vast 23 years experience of Criminal Law, procedure and… | View Profile |
![]() | Mr Brian Williams | View Profile |